Poetry upon more poetry in this epic-length book of poetry that I have been engaged in reading for longer than I can say, a little each day. While engaging, boy were there a ton of poems! Directed by Desire by June Jordan, whom is a prolific poet, shares decades of moments and experiences in her book. Jordan displays wisdom, sadness, fear, and independence in her work that spans forty years of plight for the African American community during the 1960s until her death from cancer in 2002. The civil rights issues, sexual assaults, personal humiliations, untold deaths of African Americans, and challenges facing women in a culture of male domination are all beautifully told by Jordan. Jordan’s command of not only painting pictures but emoting feelings which are raw (at times) was always on target and had me, the reader, in her moments. I am not a huge poetry reader, but Jordan’s poems were “spot on” and gave me so much depth of feeling. She captured the moments of an ever-changing culture. Reading in small doses is the only way to truly benefit from Jordan’s moments of brilliance. Add this one to your list not only to gain a better insight to Jordan’s life but also to have a better understanding of woman of color’s view of the American scene at the time.
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